Gift Cards High on the List for Holiday Shopping: Survey

Gift cards will be a hot item again this holiday season, with even more retailers offering "gift card malls" and customization options, including video.

"Taking your photo and adding it to a gift card makes it a one-of-a-kind gift," said Bob Skiba, EVP of Comdata Stored Value Solutions, in a statement. "Additionally, we're testing to have gift cards that can play a video as another way to truly make the gift card a gift that keeps giving."

Comdata recently conducted its fourth annual survey of adult gift card purchasers to gain insights into the forthcoming holiday season. Survey results include:

• 95% of adult survey respondents stated that they had either received or purchased a gift card—a +24% increase over 2005 survey results.
• Two occasions for gift card purchases still dominate: birthdays (78%) and winter holidays (67%)
• 27% of adult consumers say that they have purchased gift cards over the Internet
• 22% of adult consumers say that they have purchased gift cards at gift card malls (where a variety of gift cards are available at a central location like a supermarket or drug Store). In particular, Hispanic shoppers reported that 32% of Hispanic adults have bought gift cards at a gift card mall.
• 31% of adult consumers report purchasing gift cards for themselves this year, an increase from the 12% in past surveys.
• Adults surveyed stated that 46% of all the gifts purchased in the past 12 months were gift cards.
• Adult purchasers load each gift card they purchase with an average of $46—+21% versus the average load in 2003.
• 24% of consumers received gifts cards from Employers as a Bonus, Incentive or Reward.
• Hispanic respondents are more likely to purchase a gift card to give to a youngster as an allowance or budgeting tool.

The survey results are based on 600 Internet surveys collected from Aug. 31-Sept. 5, 2006.

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